table scraps

[ken coleman]

Ken was just thinking about it.

Robert did it.

They talked.

So with Robert’s tablescrap as the impetus, we (Robert and Ken) invite you to make a collage using whatever is on your workspace right now – the scraps, the leftovers, rejects, and refuse -- and post it here to this forum. Maybe something that makes you chuckle to yourself as you’re doing it; or not. Quick and dirty. Little editing. What falls together. You don’t even have to use glue if you don’t feel like it. Just for grins. And a photo of your workspace along with the collage would be nice.

 

Here are mine.

First, the desktop workspace and a collage.

[Sally Herman]

I see you all had some fun this summer! Well, I want to play. Will post a workspace pic this afternoon. For now, here's the piece I put together by literally pulling things out of my trash can (I had just "cleaned-up" the other day.) and putting them down in about five minutes. (4"X4" Paper on bristol)

I don't keep scraps often, but I struggle with that because after I'm done with a piece, the scraps left behind somehow seem more beautiful than the thing I just put together. A lot like Matthew expressed above. Yet hanging on to all the little scraps (often with glue on the backs of them) feels a bit insane. Where to put them? How to find them again?

Anyway, scraps are near and dear to my heart. This was a really fun thread to read. And a big thanks to all who shared.

-Sally

[Sally Herman]

Found this year-old pic of my closet/workspace. Cleaner then... :)

[ken coleman]

Hi Sally,

Thanks for the photos. Yep, that's a pretty neat looking workspace. Not to mention a great utilization of a small space.

And that's a fine looking scrap collage. 

I agree, hanging on to those small scraps seems a bit insane at times.  Usually, I let them accumulate then at some point there is a purging.  When I keep too many scraps around, I often find myself drawn to the same paper/color/texture over and over again. On the one hand, there's nothing at all wrong with that. On the other hand, sometimes it seems too easy.

Again, thanks for posting something on this thread.

Ken

[Ginnie Gardiner]

Hello Ken,

I’ve always enjoyed shooting the table tops in my studio. All of my photos and image scraps can be manipulated and shuffled in various ways, creating an image bank of ideas without too much labor. And I don’t feel as though I’m losing ideas because I haven’t created a finished piece. Also, you can play with the lighting.

 

Here is a 2012 table scraps montage and an image of my studio around the same time.

All the best,

Ginnie

[Susanna Lakner]

Hi, Ken,

i just working on a a little bookie with Allan Bealy. This is our second collab and now he made the starter.

[ken coleman]

What an impressive (big) studio space. Wow. When I first moved to NYC, my entire apartment was not the large.

Interesting idea about shifting and shuffling images. Similarly, I think, sometimes I use temporary glue to put together a piece then scan it. The collage gets taken apart and the elements re-used. Often the same element or a part thereof appears in several different collages. Finally, it gets glued permanently.

Ginnie Gardiner said:

Hello Ken,

I’ve always enjoyed shooting the table tops in my studio. All of my photos and image scraps can be manipulated and shuffled in various ways, creating an image bank of ideas without too much labor. And I don’t feel as though I’m losing ideas because I haven’t created a finished piece. Also, you can play with the lighting.

 

Here is a 2012 table scraps montage and an image of my studio around the same time.

All the best,

Ginnie

[ken coleman]

 

Thanks for the studio shots. It's always interesting to me to see both work spaces and works in progress.

Susanna Lakner said:

Hi, Ken,

i just working on a a little bookie with Allan Bealy. This is our second collab and now he made the starter.

[Ginnie Gardiner]

That is exactly what I did yesterday with an image of a figure I cut out and placed against an abstract background. I tried the figure against a few different color fields and scanned each one. I am  deciding if one will be translated into an oil painting. Many times these 'studies' work graphically on a small scale only.

ken coleman said:

What an impressive (big) studio space. Wow. When I first moved to NYC, my entire apartment was not the large.

Interesting idea about shifting and shuffling images. Similarly, I think, sometimes I use temporary glue to put together a piece then scan it. The collage gets taken apart and the elements re-used. Often the same element or a part thereof appears in several different collages. Finally, it gets glued permanently.

Ginnie Gardiner said:

Hello Ken,

I’ve always enjoyed shooting the table tops in my studio. All of my photos and image scraps can be manipulated and shuffled in various ways, creating an image bank of ideas without too much labor. And I don’t feel as though I’m losing ideas because I haven’t created a finished piece. Also, you can play with the lighting.

 

Here is a 2012 table scraps montage and an image of my studio around the same time.

All the best,

Ginnie